THE INEVITABILITY OF ARKHAM
Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are a revitalization of the Batman film Franchise, but who is Batman? Batman is one of the more iconic vigilante comic anti-heroes to come out of the USA in the last hundred years. He is the Prince of Gotham – drawn down into the lowest and darkest streets to fight the problems that are entirely the result of the centralization of wealth at the top - Something that could have been resolved by responsible government, Education, Training, Employment, Better Wages, equality of resource share, and increased citizenship responsibility.
Gotham Itself is a wretched place depicted as an uncaring megalopolis that perhaps started out as some great dream, but degenerated into a processing plant for the extraction of wealth by those at the top from the toil of those a the bottom. The broken are simply discarded. An amoral city-state ruled by the beneficiaries of Plunder Capitalism.
Now that we despise Batman and Bruce Wayne for the corporate thug that he is, how do we destroy him? And why will it take two more movies to achieve?
PRELUDE: INTRODUCING HARLEQUIN
Darin Blackwey watched the little children playing from the shadow of the alley, His Cigarette little more that a short stub.
The wire Garrotte dropped around his neck and quickly tightened - lifting him from the gritty stone beneath his feet. Blackwey could only flail in the edge of a shadow as he was strangled to death.
The Batman had come for him at last. There would be no escape from his brand of Justice. Blackwey turned slowly with every twitch of his body as it jangled on the wire. He could only just see the predator above him as it dropped into the alley using Blackwey as a counterweight.
Was that Perfume? A scent caught his attention as his executioner descended past him to the alley floor and tied the wire off on a pipe protruding from a wall.
A young girl, her body tight and firm with the coming flower of maturity, emerged from the alley dressed in a Blackened Harlequin Costume and waved at the other kids in their Halloween costumes who waved back.
"Animal..." was all she whispered. Blackwey could only imagine that was what she had said as he died, a Puppet left hanging by his wires.
THE BBEG: RIDDLER
The Riddler is hold up in a cell in Arkham Asylum. This has not however prevented him from creating havoc on the Streets of Gotham. His intellectual capacity, up around 214 IQ has resulted in a logician capable of unbelievable manipulation and plotting. The Riddler is using people with secrets – people he can blackmail to simply do his bidding outside the walls of Arkham. His method is a collection of punched hole cards which when laid over the word puzzle in the Gotham times, reveals a coded message specific to the individual in receipt of the coded message - each coded unique to a given day’s puzzle.
These minions serve as a method of attack on Batman where no individual has any connection to another yet they function as cohesively as an Organization. Police Officers stealing fire arms, civilians transferring weapons between drop-offs, and hoods using them on Batman – or to lure him; Others to serve as spotters to watch for Batman and notify the cops and flush him in a given direction through the city.
The Riddler created the puzzles for Gotham Times before he went in. Only the mind can give you freedom in Arkham and for the Riddler, Arkham is a monastic retreat. He has chosen to be there, because it is to his advantage. He is contemplating the greatest Riddle of all. Who is Batman?
While the world would consider the Batman to be a Persona opposite the Man who wears the mask (Bruce Wayne – though few know it), The Riddler sees a third persona for whom the Batman and the man are both subservient – both masks to be worn. It is this third persona who will use all resources open to him to achieve his ends by any means – even betraying the trust of friends if need be.
For Bruce Wayne/ Batman, The third Persona is the victim of the trigger event - the young child known as Bruce Wayne whose world is shattered by the murder of his parents. He perceives the adult Bruce Wayne as much a mask as the Batman. The adult Bruce Wayne is a consequence of the chaos and it is for that future that the child Bruce Wayne is seeking Revenge. The Child begins regarding the Man as a Mask - as much a Mask as Batman.
It is this child that the Riddler must design any plan of attack for. It is the child who will be vulnerable and in turn be the weak point for both the Man (Bruce Wayne) and the Batman.
To locate the Child, the Riddler breaks the wings of a Robin and places it in the child’s path. The Child, outraged at the cruelty will take the broken Robin home to restore it back to health. However, the Robin must in turn be a destructive force in the life of the child persona. It must be a Bad Robin.
THE BAD ROBIN: WHY HARLEQUIN?
The Harlequin is a young girl who has grown up in the dark and foul world looking for justice from the unjust Gotham that is her parent –She sees Batman and what he does and becomes an individual bent on hunting down all these vile animals that molest children in her own world. The Harlequin doesn’t even have a real name anymore – she becomes part of the chaos that is blamed on Batman.
The Harlequin is increasingly drawn to Batman. As long as he is prepared to let her kill her prey and fend for herself, she will always be apart from him. But when he makes her dependant on him – lifting her broken form from the gutter when she bites off more than she can chew, and takes her back to his apartment to patch her up and let her rest and recover – they must inevitably become closer.
When Alfred the Butler shows up he finds this very young girl in Bruce’s apartment – naked in Bruce’s bed. She is too young.
Alfred arranges to provide her with some clothes in her size and set aside her ‘harlequin’ suit for repair and cleaning. She awakes naked in Bruce’s apartment unaware that the Batman has rescued her. The Strange old man lays out a selection of clothes for her and as she learns that she is in Bruce Wayne’s apartment - She doesn’t understand the link between Batman and Bruce Wayne. She thinks Bruce Wayne is as villainous as the bastards she hunts; it is here that The Harlequin kills Alfred – She is arrested for Alfred’s murder in Bruce Wayne’s Apartment and locked away in Arkham.
The Riddler’s plan to put the bad Robin with its broken wings in the Batman’s path has led him to Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham.
UNDER A MAGNIFYING GLASS: BRUCE WAYNE
Bruce Wayne is smeared publicly by the whole paedophile issue that is now raised by a naked young girl in his apartment – in his bed. Alfred the Butler is dead and Bruce Wayne is as publicly despised as Batman.
With the Bruce Wayne Persona under attack via the vulnerabilities of the child, the Batman comes increasingly exposed and vulnerable. If the Batman is Bruce Wayne, the next target must be his support mechanism - Wayne Enterprises. Pieces of Bruce Wayne’s life begin to surface.
That Bruce Wayne was held in a Chinese Prison for criminal activities there only to have his freedom bought comes to light.
UNDER SIEGE: WAYNE ENTERPRISES
Discrepancies will be exposed as Wayne Enterprises comes under review. While they will discover that the R&D division has vanished from the books, Lucius Foxx will recognise that there has been a duplication of the Bat Computer –the other in the Bat-cave. Bruce Wayne/Batman has betrayed him.
Wayne Enterprises is taken from him as his friend Lucius Foxx departs the company citing differences of opinion…only to be assassinated by one of the Riddler’s minions. His only surviving ‘friend’ is Commissioner Gordon – the man who hunts him.
He reveals his identity to Gordon and gives him access to the Bat Computer.
Still he needs to be pushed. The Riddler must push him until Batman becomes a Killer. Gordon is murdered and all the evidence points to Bruce Wayne. A handgun, long forgotten to the past, with Bruce Wayne’s finger prints is revealed.
OUTCAST OF GOTHAM: BATMAN
Traumatized by the loss of his friends, and cut off from his assets, Bruce Wayne is forced to seek refuge in the gutter. Here we see a Batman using the resources available to those at the bottom. It is here that Bruce Wayne is picked up and taken to Arkham Asylum.
ARKHAM ASYLUM: MEET THE RIDDLER
In Arkham Asylum, Batman is introduced to the Riddler. He is very much your ultra brilliant Zodiac Killer with more brains than mortal men.
The Riddler reveals how he destroyed everything Batman/Bruce Wayne had.
Bruce Wayne Kills the Riddler becoming a murderer. Yet the Riddler Killings will continue without him for some time.
Worse Case Scenario, Bruce Wayne uses Arkham as a dump for his failed Relationships.
CONCLUSION
There we have it - Potentially the endgame for this increasingly dark Batman. Certainly Batman doesn’t end in the Gutter. But his eventual return Arkham Asylum brings us a monster who will likely stalk the Streets with a new Purpose. A Killer who would make no distinction between that poor slob who is forced to guard a Mob Warehouse for five dollars a day because Wane Enterprises cut jobs to pay for Bruce Wayne’s lifestyle, and a high end villain out killing kids.
I call shenanigans. Grammar is a bit lacking and inconsistant, Wayne is spelt "Wane" at one point. This doesn't resemble a script or a treatment I've ever seen. While Christopher Nolen isn't sticking to the comics, he is sticking to the characters, and killing off Gordon and Alfred is just out of the question. Plus, if they were going to do something that unusual, they would not have allowed us to get access to it.
I agree. While some of it sounds interesting, no way this is true.
That right there proves its fake, Batman doesn't kill (well not sice the 40's, but that was retconed away)
At any rate though this is definitely fake.
Batman didn't kill him. Momentum did.
Yeah! Newton had more to do with it.
Yeah! Newton had more to do with it.
Yeah! And therefore apples! Or figs. Yeah, figs.
How do you feel about figs?
Apples are superior to figs. We need no further proof than apples being determined to be the cause of Ras al Ghul's death and figs wanting to take credit for it.
Yes. Because of these reasons exactly.
Really.
Or fig cobbler.
Twinkies, now they are posers!
There were about fifty other varieties of figs. Until the apples exterminated them.
Well, there is a variety called Lobo...
Well, there is a variety called Lobo...
That variety was spared as apples are fans of the comic.
"Bruce Wayne Kills the Riddler"
That right there proves its fake, Batman doesn't kill (well not sice the 40's, but that was retconed away)
I thought that last year Batman killed Dark Seid as Dark Seid killed batman? And it was with a gun? Either way, I think he's still dead...
BS. I've heard mention of the Riddler and Harley Quinn (not Harlequin. Get it right) along with others as possibilities for the third movie, but nothing definite. Harley would be hard to work without Joker, and I don't think there has been stuff in the comics linking her to Batman, except as an occasional adversary, usually with Joker in some way (note: I may be mistaken here). I've heard Catwoman and Penguin are out of consideration though for being too "campy".
And seriously, if a man in a rubber suit being Batman isn't too campy, a woman in a pleather suit with a whip shouldn't be too campy.
Harlequin...She would be neat, but I'm not sure how they could do her without Mr. J. Would be interesting, but she hasn't often stood on her own. She's occasionally had a little fling with Poison Ivy, but establishing that without the prior relationship with Mr. J would be awkward...
Regardless, I'm sure they'll do their best to deliver an entertaining movie, whenever it comes 'round.
They could just go fetch another actor (like they did in Parnassus) to fill in. Considering how unstable Joker is, this could work.
Holy Flaming Coconuts, Batman!
Bring on the Robin. Pansies in tights are always great for comedic relief.
The killing of main characters is a bit extreme but it's not like we haven't seen it before. Rachael's death in Dark Night was a big changing point for Batman/Bruce and had a major impact on the movie. However killing Alfred AND Gorden? I think thats a bit over the top. Plus we've seen Gorden "fake death" before so it would seem empty to kill him off.
As for the Bat computer, I very much doubt that Batman has that little respect for Fox. I can see him build another if the need arises for it, but I doubt it would be useful for finding Riddler.
I've heard rumors that Penguin and Dr Freeze (pre-accident) will make small appearances, and a mention of Metropolis City.
they go great in cookies
Cakes, you bastard. CAKES!
Jonny Depp can do it. No matter how much any of you may have the pirates movies, Jonny Depp can do a heath ledger role, particularly when the subject is crazy and has heavy make up.
they go great in cookies
Cakes, you bastard. CAKES!
I'm pretty sure they are cookies.
I'm pretty sure they are cookies.
A cookie is just a cookie but a Newton is fruit and cake!
Barbarian.
Technically he did kill Ras a Ghul in the first movie.
Ignoring the whole "I don't have to save you" thing, did you see the body? Ra's al Ghul is virtually immortal in the comic books thanks to the Lazarus Pit. Ra's is almost certainly not dead, even in Chris Nolan's low-fantasy Batman world.
But I agree this is fake. I don't think Harley Quinn will make an appearance without the Joker, and the Joker is really unlikely to return on-screen because Heath Ledger is gone.
That said....
Technically he did kill Ras a Ghul in the first movie.
Ignoring the whole "I don't have to save you" thing, did you see the body? Ra's al Ghul is virtually immortal in the comic books thanks to the Lazarus Pit. Ra's is almost certainly not dead, even in Chris Nolan's low-fantasy Batman world.
But I agree this is fake. I don't think Harley Quinn will make an appearance without the Joker, and the Joker is really unlikely to return on-screen because Heath Ledger is gone.
Ra's is immortal in that the pits reverse the aging process. He's not indestructible.
Think of it this way. When that train reached Wayne Tower it was supposed to cause massive overpressurization of the water lines. Don't you think Ra's had some way to survive that catastrophe?
[Also, poster above is a fan poster.]
As awesome as seeing Harley on the big screen, I seriously doubt it. Hrm... then again, that would be interesting... Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Cat Woman, all in one movie?
Even if the plot was crazy (get it :P) awesome everyone would say that the producers were doing it for pure fanservice.
If we look at the first two movies in the trilogy, we can guess that the finale will be about as good, regardless of fanservice.
Hm... Well Alfred can't die, the icon of butlery perfection is what makes Batman a superhero.
But my real objection isn't the recasting of Harley as a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's that a WISC like that is supposed to wait until a firm "no thanks" has been over ruled before resorting to, and delighting in, homicide.